A Brother's Pain
by happyday girl
Summary: Fili and Kili decide to go scouting ahead during a heavy storm- As they walk along mother nature shows her true destructive side, and Fili does a very heroic thing to save his brother...although it comes at a high cost. Big brother/hurt!Fili. Set in the first film. Please R&R!


**Hello!**

**This story is dedicated to Thorny Hedge, who always tells me that what I write never has enough hurt!Fili in it for her liking- does this help? :D So as I say, this has some hurt!Fili in it, and a smidgeon of hurt!Kili, but not too much. Its quite long, so be warned!**

**Enjoy!**

The storm had been raging for three days and three nights and still showed no signs of stopping, or indeed slowing at all in its onslaught. The company had been forced to bunker down into a thick area of the forest, throwing their waterproofs and leathers over the tree branches and sheltering beneath them to keep somewhat dry.

Kili sat next to his brother, staring resolutely at the sheets of rain coursing down, creating mini rivers in the mud of the forest paths. He didn't mind the rain, but when it was all day even he started getting tiresome of it too.

He looked across at Fili- his brother had his eyes closed, his damp hair plastered to his forehead a little as he tried to sleep. He sniffed in his slumber, nose crinkling and eyes squeezing shut before the sneeze took over; he opened he eyes, bleary and still half asleep.

He looked across at Kili just as an almighty clap of thunder broke overhead. He jumped a little, grinning as Kili shook his head at him. 'Can't sleep?' he muttered, moving over and bringing some of his warm blanket to cover Kili's legs as well as his own. 'Not really,' Kili shrugged. 'It's the cold that keeps me awake.'

'Aye, I know what you mean- I heard Thorin say he was thinking of moving on soon. We should volunteer to scout ahead; it'll get us warmer than sitting here.' He ventured, looking around and shivering- everyone else was either dozing or talking in low whispers in the darkness.

'Good idea- maybe we'll find a village or something.'

'I doubt that, but we may.' Fili said kindly, patting Kili's shoulder. 'Alright, let's go and let him know.' Together the two of them left the sanctuary of their shelter and made their way cautiously to a thicket of trees where Thorin, Balin and Gandalf were huddled, alongside Bilbo, who was sat a little apart from them, stout look on his face.

Just as Fili ducked under the trees, Kili lost his footing on the slick ground, falling to the dirt with a whoosh of dispersed air and the squelch of thick mud. Fili, laughing broadly, dashed back into the rain and pulled Kili up by his collar, pushing him gently forwards to the others who were laughing uproariously at him from their dry spot.

'Not funny…' Kili muttered darkly; face red as he brushed himself down. Fili snorted before jumping back as Kili aimed a kick at his shins- he put his hands up, still grinning, before squatting down next to Thorin, who was shaking his head teasingly at his youngest nephew.

'When are we to move?' he asked, as Kili came nearer, still caked in wet mud and leaves.

'In the morn- if the rain has not stopped before, we will have no choice…we cannot sit here and wait.'

'Agreed- Kili and I would like to scout ahead, to see the most likely paths.' Fili asked, pushing some of the thicker mud off his brother's back as Kili moved closer.

'I think that's a good idea- try not to go too far, I do not trust a forest when it has been in such a deluge…be careful of your footing and stick together.' Thorin warned, eyes roving the pair of them.

'We will, don't worry about us, Uncle.' Kili smiled, shaking his head- Thorin could worry unnecessarily sometimes…

'It is not you two I worry about…' Thorin replied. He caught their expressions and shrugged. 'Just do as I say.' He barked, holding back a smile of his own as the two of them gave him their well-worn grins and stood up, heading back to the rain. 'Come back for mid-morning, then we shall know where to move.'

'Aye, we will!' Fili promised, before putting a hand on Kili's shoulder- 'Try not to fall over this time?' he smiled, before laughing as Kili stomped ahead, shaking his head and muttering, into the storm.

* * *

The moon was bright, and it served the two of them well as they walked carefully over the flooded terrain- it was almost like afternoon in the forest. They had walked in silence much of the way; Kili's pride was still bruised from his fall in front of the others, and Fili was too busy watching and listening for trouble to bother much with talking. Besides, the two of them rarely needed to talk to make a situation pleasant- they could walk in silence for miles and still feel comfortable with each other's presence.

The sound of sudden gushing water made them look at each other quizzically though; neither had spotted a river on their walk. They made their way to the source of the noise and saw that the rain had built up so much along one wide path that a small river had been made- the water was fast flowing as it sped downhill to the area where they were standing; water ran over their boots and licked up their trousers. 'Brilliant.' Fili chuckled, shaking his head. 'Come- there may be a river further down the hill.'

The two of them slowly walked down the grassy hill, arms outstretched as if they were walking a rope- Kili almost lost his balance two or three times if it weren't for Fili grasping his shoulder tightly and setting him straight again.

As they touched back onto flat ground, they saw that there was indeed a small brook- although it was now swollen with excess water, with the rain bursting its banks.

'Let us rest here a moment.' Fili muttered, grabbing Kili's shoulder suddenly- he lifted a leg up and hopped about a little as he emptied first one boot, and then the other of the water than had collected there. After Kili had done the same they looked about themselves; the forest was thick but they could see through the trees well enough- enough to see that they were still a way from the other side.

'It'll be past morning by the time we find a way out of this!' Kili muttered, kicking a rock and sending it sploshing into the water.

'Well, we'll walk a bit longer, and if we don't hit the other side soon, we'll go back and say we've got a walk on our hands- we can do no more than that, can we?'

'I guess not.'

'No- we'll get going in bit, after our breather….I wonder if we can find any dry wood for a small fire; I'm freezing!' Fili shuddered, teeth chattering.

'Me too…' agreed Kili, looking about- everything looked drenched though. He spotted a thick clump of bushes under a large dead looking tree….maybe that still held dry wood.

'I'll be right back…' he muttered, hitching his trousers a little and walking off. Fili watched as he squelched over to the tree, which was stood near another huge dead tree to its side, looking on with amusement as he bent down and began to rummage in the bracken. 'Found anything?' he shouted, grinning. Another huge peal of thunder crashed over their heads, making him curse in surprise. Seconds later, the sky and forest was lit up by an almighty flash of thunder- the long white jagged fork slammed into the dead tree near to where Kili was stood.

'Kili!' Fili cried, eyes wide as Kili jumped in shock, losing his footing once more and falling to his back on the ground- the tree towering above him made a horrible cracking noise from inside, as if everything was broken. It began to teeter, the dead wood careering forwards….towards Kili.

'Kili! Run! Get out of the way!' Fili screamed, stumbling forwards as he ran towards his brother.

He watched as Kili slipped back in his haste to get up- his face hit the mud, his boots getting no traction in the mire. 'No….!' he screamed, watching with wide eyes as the tree continued to fall.

'KILI!' he reached his brother with seconds to spare- Kili saw his brother launch himself towards him, pushing him back from the tree; he tumbled backwards, his head hitting the dirt, making stars erupt behind his eyelids as the terrible sound of the tree crashing to the ground sounded.

Silence finally descended- 'Fili?' Kili muttered, voice high as he looked around, wiping mud from his eyes as he did so.

He sat up gingerly, legs shaking as the wind blew rain into his eyes. He looked at the dead tree, eyes widening as he heard scrabbling and heavy, panting breaths from under it.

'FILI!' he cried, launching forwards as he tried to locate his brother amid the ruins of the tree- branches stuck out askew, catching Kili's face as he desperately sought his brother.

'Kili, are you alright?' Fili's voice flowed over him like a summer breeze- he choked out a laugh, shaking his head. 'Me?' he muttered, finally finding him under a section of heavy branches.

He stood, hands shaking as he stumbled over to his brother- Fili was trapped on his front, face ashen as he looked up at him. 'Yes, you- did the tree fall on you too?' he asked, eyes shutting as he hissed out a breath.

'No, I'm fine, thanks to you- where are you hurt?' Kili asked, carefully kneeling down, preparing to lift the branches on his brother. 'No- don't move them yet!' Fili cried out, shaking his head.

'What? What's wrong?' Kili cried, feeling a lump in his throat. He couldn't see any blood, but he knew his brother was hurting.

'M-my leg….I think it's broken.' Fili replied, trying to crane his neck to see.

Eyes wide, Kili moved to his legs, his still-shaking hand gingerly moving some smaller twigs away. His breath hitched as he saw the extent of the damage- a large branch was still on one of Fili's legs, his limb at a very unnatural angle.

'Oh, by Durin…' Kili whispered, face paling.

'Is it bad?' Fili asked, before he moaned under his breath as pain flourished in his leg.

'It's not good….' Kili replied, breathing in deeply. 'I have to move you to see how badly its broken, though.' He looked back at Fili, who closed his eyes and pressed his forehead into the mud, before looking back up, a brave smile on his face. 'Alright, but go steady- you lift it up and I'll drag myself forwards, ok?'

'Ok.' Kili nodded, grabbing the branch and steeling himself. 'Three, two, one…' he lifted the branch up as Fili, cursing loudly, pulled himself forwards, dragging his legs out from under the tree.

As soon as he was free of the tree Kili leapt forwards and helped drag Fili the rest of the way, gently dropping him down under the shade of a tree; he didn't know whether this tree was steady enough not to fall down, but he had no other choice.

Fili clutched at his leg, breathing in deeply. 'How bad?' he barked out, voice high with pain.

'I…let me see…' Kili stammered, gingerly using his knife to cut open the material of his brother's trousers. He pulled back the cloth before sitting back, eyes wide- mercifully the bone wasn't protruding, but it was bent horribly out of shape, the broken bone visible near the skin.

'Aggghh…' Fili hissed, leaning backwards, eyes closed. 'Well?'

'It….its not as bad as it could have been- it hasn't gone through your skin.'

'Thank Durin for that! Ok…we need to get back to the others.'

'How? You won't be able to walk on it, not like this!' Kili muttered, shaking his head.

'Thank you for your expert opinion, I didn't realise you were a healer? You kept that quiet!' Fili grinned, before wincing.

'Well its true!' Kili replied, indignant.

'I know, and you know what else is true?'

'What?'

'You're going to have to put my leg straight before we do anything else.' Fili replied, eyes wide, an eyebrow quirked

'What? Why?' Kili muttered, voice high as he looked at his brother, feeling his heart shoot into his throat.

'It might take a while to get back- if we keep the bones all out of shape it'll start to heal like that, and I'd be crippled for the rest of my life.' Fili explained, voice low. 'You'll have to push them back into place and then splint it- Oin can do it better when we get back though.'

'Fili I-'

'Kili please, I would never ask you to do it, but you're the only one here.' Fili interrupted, catching onto Kili's forearm and squeezing. 'I'd do it myself if I could only reach.'

Nodding, Kili breathed in deeply, trying to stop his hands from shaking so much. 'I don't know what to do, though.' He muttered.

'Well I'll tell you- at least one of us has been listening to Oin as he's been droning on throughout this trip!' Fili teased, fear and pain saturating him as he spoke. 'You just need to move them a little, so they're straighter….then just splint it.' he instructed, watching as Kili positioned himself by his leg.

'So I just push them so the ends meet?' he asked, voice wavering a little.

'Yes, just use your fingers- if they were poking out it'd be different; just please be gentle!'

'I will….' Kili promised, breathing in deeply. 'Ok…' he moved his hands over the bones, putting his fingers over them, before he quickly applied pressure, stomach heaving as he felt the bones move right under his fingers- Fili cried out, long and drawn, until his voice cracked and he fell back, breathing heavily.

'Fili…?' Kili muttered after a while, voice still high.

'Yes?' Fili replied, swallowing hard.

'Are you alright?'

'...I'll be fine.' Fili answered, shaking his head. 'Just splint it, and we can start trying to head back.'

'Ok…' Kili nodded, looking around for something to splint the bones with so they didn't move too much on the way back. After finding a long, thick branch he gently placed it against Fili's leg, wincing too as Fili sucked in a breath, letting out a low moan. Quickly he took off his over jacket and wrapped it around the splint, pulling it as tight as he could before Fili tried to move away. 'It's done- but you still won't be able to walk….I'll have to carry you back.' He muttered, standing up and wiping his hands.

'You won't do walk with me on your back all the way back to the others!' Fili muttered, shaking his head. 'I'll just hop and hobble…'

'And break your other leg in the process?' Kili shot back, shaking his own head as his brother looked up at him. 'I'll be careful-'

'What about the mud? You slip when you're just carrying your own weight, let alone mine too!'

'I'll just have to be careful, won't I? Unless you want me to leave you here all night?' Kili finished, hands on his hips as he looked down.

Fili narrowed his eyes at him, looked down at his leg, then back up at his brother. 'Alright- just be careful!'

'I will! Durin's beard, I didn't know you were so fussy!'

'I'm fussy now I've got a broken leg, so there….' Fili chuckled, before wincing once more. 'Let's just go, please?'

Carefully, Kili positioned himself near Fili's head, before he grabbed his brother's arms, bracing himself as he gingerly dragged Fili upwards along his body, before bending down and pulling him onto his back and shoulders, letting his arms and legs drape down.

Fili hissed into his brother's ear, moaning deep in his throat as fresh pain lanced from his leg. 'Very good, who taught you to do that?' he groaned, squeezing his eyes shut.

'You did.' Kili replied, rolling his eyes.

'I remember, after you injured your ankle last summer….' Fili chuckled wetly, groaning again.

'Yes, now will you just stop talking so I can concentrate on not falling over?'

'…Alright- off we go then!' Fili said, pointing in front of them to the direction of the company.

* * *

The sun was just rising, and Thorin was starting to get mildly worried. He knew that he had said that he didn't expect them to be back till mid-morning, but he always got concerned when his nephew's went off to scout without someone else being there. Numerous times he'd had to rescue them from various fates, from getting stuck in mud to being chased up a tree by an extremely angry goat. Even as old as they were, nothing surprised him anymore went it came to dealing with their antics.

'They'll be back soon enough.' Balin had assured him, and he was sure he was right- he was just too protective of him for his own good, he mused.

The rain had thankfully edged away during the night, leaving the morning crisp and fresh; a good time to be making a move, but not without the boys.

Standing up and craning his neck, he watched the horizon- his eyes narrowed as he suddenly saw a huge figure lurching towards them. 'What in Durin….?' He muttered to himself, catching the attention of Gandalf and Bilbo, who stood with him and joined him in peering at the strange sight.

'Is it an animal?' Bilbo muttered.

'No animal I've ever seen…' Gandalf replied.

'That's no animal…' Thorin muttered, eyes widening as he walked forwards, suddenly aware of what it was that he was looking at. 'It's Fili and Kili!'

He watched as he walked, watched as Kili stumbled with his brother on his back as he teetered towards them.

'What in Durin's name happened?' he shouted as they got nearer, putting a hand on Fili's back to steady them both as Kili came to a shaky halt. 'Just…get him off me….then we'll explain…' Kili muttered, face contorted with exertion.

Thorin nodded, hoisting Fili off his youngest nephew and supporting him back onto the ground. The two of them exchanged looks, before Thorin looked down at his leg. 'Why it is always one of you two?' he barked, shaking his head.

'It's his fault-'Fili nodded his head at Kili, who had sat in the mud, breathing heavily and flexing his tired legs. 'His tree got hit by lightning and I had to save him, didn't I?'

'His tree? What are you talking about?' Thorin muttered, eyebrow quirked.

'Never mind- I just need to see Oin and I'll be right as rain…' Fili smiled.

'You'll need more than that- a broken leg will need weeks to heal, which is more weeks than we have to wait…'

'What am I supposed to do then? You can't leave me here!' Fili cried, eyes shooting to his brother.

'Well-'called a deep voice from behind them. 'You could ask a certain Wizard very nicely if he could perhaps heal it as much as he could, so we can be on our way?' Gandalf said, blue eyes twinkling.

Fili smiled, nodding enthusiastically. 'That would be great! Please Gandalf, will you help me? I'd be forever in your debt if you did!'

'Well I don't know about "forever", but I'm sure you and your brother could run a few errands for me when we reach a town, just to help an old man out?' Gandalf smiled, walking closer, feet squelching in the mud.

The two dwarves nodded their agreement, and with that Kili and Thorin helped support Fili as he hopped over to a soggy log. 'No more night-time scouts for us then?' Fili muttered, smiling across at his brother.

'Well, until next time!' Kili grinned.

'You'll be lucky if I let either of you out of my sight until this journey is finished!' Thorin barked from his space sat between them; the two of them looked down, grinning secret smiles as Thorin huffed out a breath, and Gandalf set about mending a very unlucky Dwarf's leg.

**The End.**

**I hope you enjoyed it, it made a change for me to write hurt!Fili instead of hurt!Kili all the time ^^**

**Please review, I'd love to know what you thought of it!**

**Xxx **


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